Where My Future Leads Me
by Froggiecool
Summary: The year is 2064. Slavery is legal again, but conditions much worse than in Rome. Life is virtually worthless the world over - America has been destroyed, and anyone over the age of 50 is terminated. A group of those affected by the legislation seek to find the country of myth, that, it is claimed, survived without the slave tax. And save as many people as they can.
1. Chapter 1

**A.N.: As always, I intend to finish this, but may not. This chapter has a lot of scene setting, which will occur for a while. The back stories are very elaborate and complicated, and I do seek to put these online seperately... Once one is finished. The main story is, however, the priority. Where you see *~'Pagebreak'~* this means that the part of the story has changed. There are lots of plotlines in this which do all link up, although some do not for a long time. Those which I do not consider 'backstory' run beside each other in these chapters. Arthur and Yao's stories are the main ones, although there are also plots at least five other plots (only three at this point, and only one mentioned in this chapter). These will appear in chapters when something happens in the same time frame as Arthur and Yao's plots - this chapter has Denmark and Iceland (Matthias and Erik), for example. Hopefully it won't be too confusing, as I can't seperate the out into seperate stories without loosing the over-plotline.**

**See any mistakes, please let me know. Also if I forget anything.**

**This has been disclaimed. No more disclaimers of rating advice will appear. The idea, and two rarely-mentioned-but-need-to-be-there characters are mine, along with side characters. All Hetalia characters have proper roles if they appear at all.**

**Rated for: violence, slavery, nuclear warfare, cussing, death (mentioned and intergral), splitting up of siblings, FACE co-habitation (Not yet), depressing-ness, mild(ish) gore, sexual references, lack of the USA (as an entity), evil governments and fae folk. Have I missed anything... Err... France, teen!Prussia, chibi!nations (selected), semi-illegal activities by the protagonists, illegal activites by the antagonists & governments, Canada (the place) being erased from record due to politcal issues, USA (the place) being erased from the planet by nukes. Think that's all, now.**

**Genres: family, sci-fi, adventure, fantasy, hurt/comfort, angst, friendship, drama, suspense, mystery, crme, spiritual, super natural... Everything but humour (a few elements of, but not overly), western (seriously, I have sci-fi and fantasy already), tragedy (I mean,there's death, but the back stories fit this better), poetry (okay, so no promises. I might dabble), general (it's got other genres), romance (can't write this for toffee... Pre-existing SuFin and Austria/Hungary, and past GermaniaXOC, Ancient EgyptXOC and RomeXOC [would not use OCs, but I needed women]) and parody (the story is my all own work, bar the characters).**

**Oh, and pardon my American, I'm English. Same goes for my Icelandic, German and any other languages I travel into.**

**Now that's done, please enjoy.**

* * *

Arthur was, by no means, a man to be ruled by emotions. A man of 37, although not looking a day over 23 thanks to advances in anti-aging technology. He had left university 13 years ago, with an honours in Medicine. 15 years ago, he had become the sole provider for his then baby brother, Peter thanks to the global execution of all adults over the age of 50 (illegal under so many counts it was impossible to number them, but made legal by every country doing it, all at once). 7 years ago, his eight year old brother was forcibly taken from his school, along with almost all of the other children in attendance. Those who were not taken, and all of the teachers, were shot on the spot. Very few of these survived the night, and fewer still without serious repercussions for their mental and physical health. Those who were taken, sold to others. Under the leadership of the professor who had funded his degree, and whose family had been victims of the attack, the parents, elder siblings and other relatives of the victims formed an alliance with only one aim – to see the end of legal slavery once and for all. To get back the missing children a currently unachieved secondary aim, as was finding somewhere safer to work from and saving as many as they could afford to. The professor and her assistant ran the operations, whilst between three and nine members of the group acted upon their orders. Behind them, a support network of other members, their families and their slaves was created – the number ever-growing as more of the children were bought back from their owners. Arthur was the man with the fewest slaves of his own – numbering only two, brothers by the names of Bruce and Mackenzie – excluding Feliks and Vash, whom had only just that month reached adulthood. A small village was created for the support network – fully functioning and seemingly fully legal, all under the watchful eye of Professor Beilschmitt. In it were a sweet shop, a Church, a hospital, a library and the other necessary amenities – plus those that make life more pleasant. All that was missing were a lawyer and some of the less reputable businesses, unsuitable in a town created solely for the defence of people. And easy to defend it was – the site had been chose with defence in mind. It was not perfect, but the best that could be managed in a world that hated them.

* * *

The date was 8th May, 2078 – the date which had been selected for the season's mission.

And so, Arthur Kirkland was lead to the dirty back-streets of London, mind brooding over the past, the future and the idiot who had told him the shop he was supposed to be investigating was still open. In his brooding, he failed to notice an obstacle in front of him, walking straight into it.

"My apologies," his polite instinct kicked in, before looking to see a boy who had curled himself up on the floor, shivering slightly. The boy was generally filthy, although some attempt had been made to clean him up, leaving smears on his face. His hair looked as though it should be blonde, and he wore a once-white shift. Across his body were what Arthur's trained eyes identified as once-severe, now partially-healed burns. His eyes narrowed as he saw some bleeding.

"Hey," the boy looked up, a strained grin on his face. A pair of bright blue eyes met Arthur's own green ones, which softened slightly.

"What did you say, child?"

Shaking, the boy stood up and bowed to him, "Sorry, sir. I didn't mean to get in your way."

"And so you should be, getting in my way like that." For some reason, the boy seemed to relax slightly at the words, before coughing harshly. At the motion the boy winced, before glancing around nervously. Still he kept his head bowed, but started to grin sheepishly. As the boy reached up to his face, Arthur noted the scores engraved into his arm. Now things made more sense…

"Excuse him, sir. He doesn't know his place yet." Arthur looked up to see a well-built man in a suit clamping a hand down on the boy's shoulder.

Immediately, Arthur recognised the badge on his lapel linking him to a chain disreputable of owners.

"Quite so," Arthur looked down at the boy, who was shivering even more under the pressure of the man's hand, "But I would be intrigued to know, how much for such an insolent one?"

Arthur could see the man's mind working as his face broke into a sly grin, and the boy looked up, surprise written on his face, "£74 per evening, or if you would rather not return him in one piece, £7500 for a more… permanent… agreement."

"£7450," Arthur's eyes narrowed at the price, but he had to come home with something… Even if his boss was an idiot, thinking this could ever work… A country which had survived the recession with-out the slave tax? And bordering the once-mighty, now non-existent, US of A? Impossible. Not even the fae-folk had heard of it. They would never find this fantasy land, and never save the world. But, the least he could do was save as many as he could…

"£7490."

"£7480."

"Deal. Payment to…" the muscular man started.

"I'll pay now. In cash," Arthur looked the man in the eye, who smiled smugly in response.

"Of course."

The blonde handed over the money at the same moment as the boy was thrown at him.

"Stand up, child."

The boy hurriedly did so, but seemed to slip slightly, dropping back to his knees for a moment, before standing, grin still forced on his face.  
Arthur took his wrist, more carefully than it looked, and walked away. As they walked, he watched from the corner of his eye as the boy stumbled beside him.

Behind them, the 'trader' smirked to himself, clicking quickly on an old phone.

* * *

*~'Page Break'~*

* * *

Yao, or Wang Yao if we are to be correct, was a very busy man. He lived with six children alone – five of them pre-teens. He was their master, but also tried to make the household as close to a family as he could – with him as the elder brother. He was in his late forties, but looked about 20. Three of the children had been left with disabilities severe enough to hinder their futures after their school was attacked by rouge slave-traders. Like Arthur Kirkland, he lived in the village created for people working with the aim of ending legal slavery. He also held the same position when on mission, as one of the people who had been doing the physical work for the longest. His 'day job', so to speak, was making sure the newest children to the village were caught up to speed on school work as quickly as possible. If those two duties were not enough work, he also taught history at the school all six of the children he lived with attended. He tutted, tapping his hand on the steering wheel. His eldest brother, Kiku, was away giving assistance to a couple they once knew, in Wales of all places.

Standing next to him was the enigma known only as Feliks. The blonde male had recently turned 16. Although nobody else knew much about him, Professor Beilschmitt had been very happy to let him onto the team doing the main work. The other new addition was Vash – much less of an enigma, being the gun-wielding, camper-van driving elder brother of one of the kidnapped children. Nobody in their right mind would ever cross the man. Feliks, on the other hand, had no skills which anyone could make out, had no reason to feel strongly about the matters and seemed better suited to running a clothes shop (which was his other job, admittedly) than any sort of physical labour. The pink mini-dress didn't help either.

"So, I was, like, thinking that you'd look totally cute in this red jacket I found."

"I am not interested," Yao explained, taking care not to crash. Which lead to the other problem – Feliks had lost his driving license not three days after receiving it. "You remember what we are doing?"

"Like, yeah," he was fiddling with his nails, holding his hands up to the light.

"I'll go first, aru. You follow me after 20 minutes. We're supposed to be investigating floor nine today – ask for that when they ask for specifics. You have the money?"

"Yeah," he looked up from his nails, "So let's, like, go!"

Rolling his eyes, and parking the VW campervan the two had been travelling, Yao muttered about the younger man not paying attention. They both got out, and looked up at the building. It was an old warehouse, a relic from nearly two hundred years prior. All of the windows were blacked out, and artificial lights crept around the edges. The bricks were red, although had long been coated by soot. Behind the black-out blinds, the windows were barred. Feliks made some comment about it being ugly, whilst Yao looked around for anyone else nearby. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a blonde street child watching them. The boy could not have been older than eight, and he was gazing at them above a tightly tied scarf. His hands were grasping the metal post he was hiding behind. The Asian man made a mental note to see if the child was still there went they finished – and, if so, to speak to him.

He turned to Feliks, who was kicking the pavement, "Don't do anything stupid, aru."

"20 minutes, right?" Feliks asked, "And, like, 'course not. I'm not some ditzy blonde."

Yao would have liked to argue the point, but decided that starting the job would be a more effective use of his time. He locked the car, and started towards the imposing building.

* * *

*~Page break~*

* * *

A tall man with wild blonde hair stood at the back of the Chapel. His name was Matthias, the bartender There had not been a priest or minister for since the faithful day 7 years ago, although anyone was free to come and pay their respects. At the altar knelt another blonde, younger than the first, hair pin in his hand. He was dressed in a formal shirt and trousers, and his head was bowed low.

Quietly, Matthias approached him. As he did so, the other blonde stood, and turned to face him.

"Emil," Matthias nodded his head.

Emil nodded in response.

Matthias placed one hand around that with the hair pin in it.

"Seven years," frowned.

"We'll find him," Matthias forced a grin.

"Heimskur," Emil forced his hand away, leaving the ancient building.

Matthias let his face fall as the boy left, he shook his head, "Lukas…" he whispered under his breath, "Where did you go?"


	2. Chapter 2

**A.N.: To say, the next part will most likely not be this long or fast. This part was mostly written when I put the first up, and I have had very little homework today. I hope you like it. Please tell me of any mistakes. I have taken some liberties on the character of Poland...**

**China and Poland have much longer parts than dear Britain and America, as I need to keep them in the same time-frame for this to work. **

**Hopefully this is not too confusing... Lines show change of character. Double space is change of time or location, but not character. It should be easy to work out who is what... As to what is going on, it will be explained at a later date.**

**I'll put this here, although it really applies a while later... I have properly researched the effects of certain things and illnesses, complications and symptoms along with current survival rates and treatment methods. Then, this being sci-fi, I have made some alterations to suit. For example: for certain characters, their illness today would be a death sentance. I'm implying that treatments have moved on, and survival is now possible for them. Where a certain chibi!nation who is mentioned by not seen for a while is concerned, he should be dead. I know this, but have chosen to over-look certain matters in favour of the plot. If you finished this, you get my disclaimer. Hetalia and nukes have been disclaimed. I wish I could disclaim my brain, as it is creeping me out. Unfortunalty, you're stuck with it. And so am I. I also disclaim Beethoven (I'm sure you can guess where THIS comes in)**

**Warnings applied to this chapter: Mentions of abuse/torture, bodily wounds, semi-legal activities, mentions of character deaths and Chibi!ish characters... Biggest warning goes to Chibi!Russia.**

**Also warning for my odd mind.**

**Please enjoy, inform me of mistakes in a nice fashion, and I'm not entirely sure how old to make a certain someone *coughAmericacough*, so it's a guestimation.**

**Flames will be used to prepare a funeral pyre for certain characters.**

**EDIT 11/10/12: Corrections made to the last section - missing 'l' placed, and last sentance of last paragraph re-phrased.**

* * *

Upon entering the old warehouse, Yao was greeted by a woman dressed in total black – black suit, black shirt, black tie, black shoes. She walked over to him, swinging her hips, "Can I help you, darling?"

"I would be interested in purchasing someone to work for me," he said, entirely un-phased by the woman's display.

"Spoil sport," she frowned, as a scream echoed through the building – not a scream of surprise, but rather an animalistic one of fear and pain. Yao suppressed a shudder, and looked at the woman.

"Anything in particular?" she took a small notepad from her pocket, and started twirling a pen between her fingers.

"Floor nine," his eyes narrowed at the words, knowing exactly what the purpose of that floor was for.

The woman giggled, "Naughty, naughty," before taking his hand, and leading him towards an elaborate staircase.

After not-too-long, the two had arrived at the ninth floor. Yao internally grimaced at the screams echoing from the locked room at the end, and the multiple locked cages. Most were empty, although blood-stains covered the floor. The others were empty but for the blood stains and hollow-eyed people in them. Most shared a cage with two or three others, and almost all were adults in their twenties or thirties.

"Any more specific?" the woman asked.

"Someone… Younger," he said, slowly and deliberately.

The woman grinned in a sly manner, "Of course. We have some delightful teens just in – although one is currently in training. Three of them, in total."

"Let's see," Yao had already made up his mind – he would take one, and then leave the others to Feliks – a test to see if he had been paying attention to his job description. He knew there was only room for one more with him, and it was unlikely Feliks would take one into his house.

The woman led him to one of the cages towards the back, where two teens were. Both were blonde – although one a much darker shade than the other. The one with the darker hair was younger – Yao guessed about 12 or 13 – and was sleeping on the other's lap, whilst clutching his right arm with the opposite arm. It was damaged quite heavily – although as neither a doctor nor a biologist Yao did not have a clue what sort of damage. The elder looked around 15, and seemed to be trying to fix the broken glasses in his hand. Excluding the cuts on his face and arms, he seemed otherwise well.

"How much for the little one?" Yao asked quietly.

The woman named the price. Yao bartered for a while, before they came to an agreement. As such, she opened the cage. The older blonde looked up from the glasses, tucking them beneath himself. The woman hit him around the face, stunning him temporarily, before dragging the younger boy outside. Noticing what was happening, the elder started shouting, only to be slapped again. With that, he was quiet, and sat in the corner, glaring at the two. The woman kicked the boy in the stomach, waking him.

"Ow…" the boy moaned, curling up.

"Stand up and greet your new master, boy."

He scrambled to his feet, avoiding using his right arm at all costs. Yao passed over the money, grabbed him by the left hand, and walked out. Behind him, he heard the woman whistling to herself, and the boy he was pulling cried loudly. Checking his watch, he saw that nineteen minutes had passed; he would not be able to speak to Feliks before the younger's mission.

* * *

Feliks tossed his blonde hair around himself, strutting into the building. Normally, he would hate strangers – wouldn't even dream of doing this. Today, however, was not a normal day. He had a job to do, and in the name of his friends, do it he would.

"Hey!" he called out to the empty room.

A man in a black suit stood up, walking over to him, "Greetings." The man's voice was sinister.

"I'm like, looking for people to do my work so I won't have to break my fabulous nails," Feliks waved the hand in front of himself as he said it.

The man nodded, "Anything in mind, sir?"

"I've, like, heard rumours that level nine is where those with the right skills," he winked at the man, "are. And, I want some-one younger than me 'cause, like, my land-lord doesn't like us owning older slaves, which is totally stupid, but, like, the rules. So, like, level nine and younger than 18 and 2 months."

As they made their way upstairs, Feliks continued to rant about his 'land-lord', and life in general.

Reaching the floor, Feliks made a disgusted noise, pointing at the blood on the floor, then his shoes. The man bought him plastic shoe covers, giving them to him. He slipped them over, having gulped down the sick feeling and waving his reaction off as about the shoes.

"Just his way, sir," the man-in-black led him towards a particular cage – the same one the woman had lead Yao to just a few minutes before. The woman was still there, laughing to herself.

The man nodded to her, and she left, swishing her hips as she went.

"This is one of the ones who fit your requests," the man gestured into the cage.

Feliks gulped, and tried picturing the man before him wearing nothing to counter-act the paling of his skin. Without even looking hard, he knew who it was.

"The other is currently in training. Neither has finished, but I'm sure they'll meet your requirements."

"Like, totally," Feliks forced himself to smile, and the giddiness forced into his voice, "I'll, like, take both."

The man raised an eyebrow, "I'll go get the other for you." As Feliks passed him some money – probably too much, but he wanted out – the man passed him the keys.

As soon as the man was gone, Feliks opened the cage, letting him out, and looking at him. The fifteen year old's eyes widened.

"You're, like, gonna hafta carry the other one, 'cause it'll look bad if I do it." Feliks whispered.

"Feliks?" the man whispered.

Feliks winked at him, twirling his skirt. The man appeared again, dragging a brunette behind him. Feliks swallowed the vomit accumulating in his throat as he watched the brunette, dressed from head to toe in bleeding wounds, be dragged toward him. He stumbled with every step, matted hair falling over his eyes.  
The blonde man forced a smile onto his face, "Like, look at you." He swished his hips slightly.

The man in the suit threw the brunette at Feliks' feet. Feliks snapped his fingers, and the youngest helped the brunette to stand.

"You're, like, mine now. So, like, follow me and we'll totally get started," Feliks pulled one of the 'creepy' faces he had trained especially to make, winking to the suited worker.

The worker waved him on his way, as Feliks dragged the younger males out of the room.

As soon as they made it out of the watching eyes of other slaves and the sellers, Feliks turned to one side and vomited. As he did so, the two slaves leant against the wall. Once his stomach was empty, Feliks turned to the two, younger, males.

"Can you, like, make it out alright?"

The blonde one reached behind him placing the shattered glasses on his face, before nodding.

"Like, carry on carrying Tori. If I do it, it'll totally ruin the reputation, and I'll like, never live it down."

The brunette looked slightly, "Fel-?" he started, before erupting into a series of harsh coughs. Feliks winced on his behalf as wounds started to bleed harder.

"Hey, Toris," Feliks forced a smile, "We, like, need to get out of here. So, let Ed help you, and we'll be otta here ASAP."

The brunette looked dazed, but allowed him-self to be half carried, half dragged, outside.

* * *

Hood pulled down against the rain, a short male ran through the streets of York. The Minster still stood tall amongst the tower blocks and aerial tramways. He wore a red jacket, with black boots and white trousers. A small amount of black hair stuck out from under his hood. His build was that of an (admittedly scrawny) teenager, most likely around 15.

Slowing down slightly, he ran up to a house. It was a reasonable size, and made of red brick. He knocked on the plastic door.

After a few moments, it opened. A woman in a long dress stood there, her brown hair pushed back with a bandana. A large brush was in one hand. A girl (at least, the teen thought she was a she) in a similar, but green, outfit was singing as she swept the floors with a miniature brush, whilst a little boy dressed all in black watched her from behind a nearby door. They were both about eight years old. The sound of Beethoven's Piano Sonata 23 in F minor echoed through the building.

"Mr Edelstein – our guest is here," she called, voice accented, before offering a soft smile, stepping aside to let the teenager inside.

* * *

Arthur helped the boy into the car, before walking around to the driver's door, and getting in himself. The car was an old, but reliable, model from the 2040s, still working and running on electricity. Most cars now had their own generators, although this one still needed charging. It, however, did not take petrol.

"Well, lad, I'm Arthur," he turned to the boy, who was bouncing up and down on the seat. As soon as the boy noticed that the other was looking, he stopped and bowed his head.

After a few moments, Arthur spoke again, "Do you have a name?"

"I'm Alfred, sir."

Arthur winced at the evident accent. Coupled with the burns and thinned hair, there was only one country the boy could be from.

"And how old are you, Alfred?" Arthur turned the key, and began to drive. He alternated attention between the road and the rear-view mirror, adjusting the angle slightly so as to watch the boy.

"I'm four!"

Arthur chuckled to himself, "I used to be four."

Alfred looked at him in a slightly disbelieving manner; "Really?" he clamped a hand over his mouth.

Arthur nodded, "If you're concerned, I want you to know that I won't hurt you intentionally."

"Huh?" Alfred looked up over his hands, "Stop usin' funny words." He bit into the hands still over his mouth.

"I said I'm not going to hurt you."

Alfred looked at him, puzzled, before muttering an 'okay' and curling up in the seat.

"Don't go to sleep, Alfred."

The boy looked up again, shuffling in his seat, "Sleepy."

"I know lad," Arthur sighed as he drove, "How about you tell me a story?"

"Don't adults tell the stories?"

"When they want children to go to sleep."

"But…" Alfred looked horrified, "What if you go to sleep?"

"I won't go to sleep." At the suspicious look, Arthur added an 'I promise'.

"Okay…" Alfred still looked confused, "There was a man named Arthur who had really big eyebrows-"

Arthur's grip on the wheel tightened as he choked down a comment.

"You 'kay, sir?"

"Call me Arthur, and carry on."

Alfred shrugged, grinning mischievously, "Arthur had really, really big eyebrows. One day he met me, and we went on an adventure to rescue a senator. The senator was… really, really tall! On their way to find the senator, they went past a town where they met another boy who looked like Alfred and he was called… Mattie! So Mattie joined the group. But they didn't have anywhere to stay, so a nice man named… Francis letted them stay in his house. When they went to find the senator, Francis and Mattie came too. Then, they finded the senator, who was being guarded by a dragon! The dragon attacked them, and got Mattie and Francis. Arthur was busy doing girly things like trying to get around the back of the dragon. But the dragon noticed and caught him too! Then I ran and the dragon and sended it back to dragon-land. I rescued Mattie and Arthur and Francis and the senator, so they all went home and lived in a big house and lived happily ever after."

Arthur looked at the boy, whose face had fallen as he told the story. He was fiddling with his collar, as though he wanted to say something.

"Once it's bedtime, I'll tell you a story back," Arthur promised.

Alfred nodded, pouting slightly, "Can we go find the senator, now?"

Arthur sighed, knowing where this was going, "Well, where is the senator?"

"I don't know," the boy replied, "But if we find Mattie and Francis, we'll find her!"

"And what is the town where Mattie and Francis lived called?"

The boy's face fell further, tears welling up, "I don't know!"

"Then how do we find them?"

"We look in all the towns! Then I can rescue Mattie! … I mean, the senator!"

And there it was, "This Mattie is very important to you."

"Well… Without him and Francis, we can't rescue the senator!" Alfred looked impressed with himself.

Arthur sighed, flicking on his indicator for the next turning, "But the senator doesn't exist, so Mattie and Francis don't either."

"But you and me exist!"

"So you think I have big eyebrows?"

"Well…" Alfred looked uncomfortable.

"Never mind. But so what if these people exist? There are many people in the world."

"But… Mattie's really sick," Alfred looked upset, "And Francis says he can't afford to help, whatever that means!"

Arthur grimaced – he knew medicine was very expensive, and for orphans impossible to reach. If they weren't caught, most died on the streets, "But who are they to you?"

Alfred shuffled slightly.

"I won't be angry."

"Well…" Alfred looked down, "Mattie'smetwinbrotherandFrancisgive dusfood."

It took Arthur a few minutes to decode, before exhaling calmly. He flicked the indicator again, taking a turn into another city. Alfred was kicking the back of his chair, "Mattie is my twin brother, and Francis gave us food."

"Huh?"

"Your grammar needs work."

"What'sa that?"

"How you use words."

"So…" Alfred looked at him, confused, "Can we go find Mattie yet?"

Arthur looked upwards, muttering something, before looking back into the mirror, "Why don't we keep our eyes open?"

Alfred stared out of the window, trying not to blink.

"Not literally. I mean, why don't we make sure that, when we do our normal activities, we look for him without people noticing?"

Alfred tilted his head slightly, "'Kay… Will we find him like that?"

"It's better than running blind. I'll ask my friends to help us. But if you remember what the town is called, we'll go there."

Alfred nodded, "He always has a dirty white bear with him! Even when running away from nasty people."

Arthur chuckled humourlessly, "I'll remember that."

Alfred let out a loud yawn, before muttering asking to sleep again. Once more, Arthur refused. As they drove, Arthur had Alfred talk about various inconsequential matters, sometimes supplying his own opinion.

* * *

Outside the building, Yao checked his watch. The boy was curled up on the back seat of the car. Yao wished he had some painkillers to give him, but hid this behind his agitation. Off to one side, the little boy he had spied earlier was hiding behind some piping. To still be there could only mean he was alone.

"Where is he, aru?" the man muttered, before spying the blonde exiting from one of the doors.

He strode of quickly, mentally congratulation himself that he had correctly assumed the blonde's actions.

"Hey, Yao. It's like totally-"

"You're late, aru," he rolled his eyes, "I'm going to look at something, while you sort everyone out."

With that, the Asian man walked off. He ignored the confused look from the blonde with the broken glasses, and pretended not to see the way the brunette slumped.

Feliks turned to Eduard and Toris, "Here's the van. It's like, totally not mine, but it's safe, 'kay? Once he's back, Yao'll take us back ta base." The eldest blonde sighed, leading the way over.

Feliks pulled a face, before helping Toris into the camper-van. Eduard followed closely behind.

Yao watched for a few moments. He was sat on the pavement, watching the small blonde boy. The child opened up his arms, tears welling up, before crossing them across his chest, and hanging his head. In the short moment that he saw the boy's violet eyes, the man felt his heart shatter. Yao stood, and slowly made his way over to the pale-haired boy in the scarf. He did not know where the boy had come from, but the condition of his clothing implied a runaway. A lack of anyone nearby further concerned the man.

"Hello, little one."

The boy didn't seem to notice as he frowned at the cold concrete. He had very pale blonde hair, violet eyes, and was hidden under dirty, tan fabric. A pale pink scarf was wrapped around his lower face, and trailed along the floor. There were a few rips on both coat and scarf, some stitched up, others not. The scarf, however, was much more carefully repaired than the other garment. There were blood splashes on the coat, which immediately concerned the man, now kneeling at the boy's feet. Closer to the child, he could smell the faint smell of iron - blood. In his hand, the boy carried two strips of fabric – one dirty yellow, one white.

"Are you alright?"

The boy looked up at Yao, eyes wide. He stepped backwards, head cocked slightly to one side. After a few moments, he stepped forward again. He reached out one hand. Lightly, the child touched the man's face, before hugging said hand to his chest. His violet eyes, dead and tired, stared into Yao's brown ones.

Yao smiled slightly, and sat back onto his heels. The boy stared at him, shivering and tugging down his coat sleeves. Yao curled up his fingers, before smoothing down his jacket.

"I'm Yao. What is your name, little one?" he asked.

The boy started at him, reaching out and touching the elder's face again. This time however, his had stayed a little longer. After a few moments, Yao placed his own hand over it. Feeing how cold it was, Yao fought not to shout out – the touch prior had been too short to really feel it. However, he kept a calm smile, and gently rubbed the hand with his own. After a few moments, the boy pulled the hand away again, pressing it to his own face. He smiled slightly, although it did not reach is eyes, and said something in a language Yao was unfamiliar with.

"Yao," the man said gently, pressing one hand to his chest.

The boy stared for a few moment, before pointing at the man, voice wavering, "J-Jao."

Yao smiled again, and pointed at the boy. He seemed to understand, "Ivan." His voice was still uncertain, and he kept on shivering and glancing at Yao's exposed skin.

Yao attempted the name, causing the boy to giggle, before he frowned at himself. Ivan began muttering in the same language as before, quickly working himself to tears. He looked at Yao, shouting, and desperation shining in his eyes.

"I don't understand you, little one," he said, softly.

Ivan's shouts became louder and more desperate; Yao bit his lip. The boy was obviously distressed, but he had no understanding of the situation.

Learning from years of working with children, Yao opened his arms wide. Ivan stilled. He stared at the arms for a moment, before latching onto the man. Burrowing his face into the side of Yao's neck, the chid started to cry. They were quiet tears, soaking the clothing but barely uttering a sound. Yao wrapped his arms around Ivan, and pressed his lips against the boy's head. He wrinkled his nose against the smell of death, gently humming to the child. The tears continued in a steady stream.

Breathing deeply, Yao stood up. The child clung tighter to him, and started muttering frantically. The man placed a hand on his head, hushing him.

* * *

Seeing the Asian in red approach, Feliks stopped chattering to the stunned trio, and jumped out of the van.

"What, like, kept you?"

Yao thought the child wrapped in his arms was fairly self-explanatory, and so ignored the question entirely. When he tried to put the child into the car, Ivan began to cry again, reaching up at the man. The other three were watching with different levels of comprehension. Toris had been propped up by one side of the camper-van, and was looking with slightly glazed eyes, as though looking at something not really there. Eduard was alternating between fretting over Ravis' sleeping form, looking to see what the commotion was about, and checking that Toris was still conscious. Sighing to himself, Yao picked the child back up, and slipped into the driver's seat. He positioned the boy on his lap, and pulled the seat belt over their laps.

"That's totally no safe," Feliks moaned, climbing into the front passenger seat.

"Safer than you driving, aru." Yao snapped back, although more quietly than he would have liked.

Feliks twisted in his seat, and chattered at Eduard and Toris for the remainder of the journey.


	3. Chapter 3

_**A.N. As per usual, I'm not overly fond of this chapter. Infact, I rarely like anything I write very much... Anywhich, this is again still a bit jumpy. For your ease of reading: Poland's group, Japan's, Arthur's, Vash, Arthur's. However, groups have changed since last time, as plots are now mostly aligned. There's still some characters to introduce, so some spoilers with this, but I'll give you a names list here - I think there's only about seven that are not at least mentioned (although many are not named) by the end of here, grouped by plot:**_

_**Names:  
Arthur Kirkland - England  
Alfred F. Jones - chibi!America  
Mackenzie Kirkland - New Zealand  
Bruce Kirkland - Australia  
Matthew Williams - chibi!Canada  
Francis Bonnefry - France  
Wang Yao - China  
Ivan Brasinki - chibi!Russia  
Honda Kiku - teen!Japan  
Im Yong Soo - South Korea  
Wang Jai Long/Leon - Hong Kong  
Wang Mei - pre-teen!Taiwan  
Feliks Łukasiewicz - Poland  
Ravis Galante - Latvia  
Eduard Von Bock - Estonia  
Toris Lorinaitis - Lithuania  
Roderich Edelstein - Austria  
Elizabeta Edelstein - Hungary  
Lovino Vargas - teen!South Italy  
Antonio Carriedo - Spain  
Feliciano Vargas - pre-teen!North Italy  
Ludwig Edelstein - pre-teen!HRE/pre-teen!Germany  
Vash Zwingli - Switzerland  
Lilli Zwingli - Liechtenstein  
Emil Bondevik - Iceand  
Matthias Køhler - Denmark  
Lukas Bondevik - Norway  
Geogi - Bulgaria  
Traian - Romania  
Tino Väinämöinen - Finland  
Berwald Oxenstierna - Sweden  
Peter Kirkland - Sealand  
Gilbert Beilschmitt - teen!Prussia  
Cleopatra Hassan - Ancient Egypt**__  
__**Gupta Hassan - Egypt  
Friedrick Beilschmitt - Germania  
Emma - Belgium  
Tim - Netherlands**_

_**OCs  
Muhammad Hassan - Mr. Ancient Egypt  
Solveig Beilschmitt - Ms. Germania**_

_**If a character is important to 2 plots (ie Japan), then they are placed in the first one from the list. The OCs are more minor, and tend to fliter. Some surname are changed from accepted to fit with plot elements, whilst sme of the names used are not the commonly ued oes for my own ease of spelling. Those without surnames will recieve oes later, and it's plausible that I've fogotten people.**_

* * *

The camper-van pulled up outside a building. The building, and this statement, was not very impressive – a plain building made of concrete. Yao got out, setting Ivan on his hip, whilst Feliks woke up Ravis, and helped the three out of the back.

"We're, like, totally here!" The blonde called.

Once everyone was out of the vehicle, Feliks put his arm around Toris, and started leading him towards the building. Feliks pushed open the door, to reveal an empty reception area.

"HELLO!" He shouted, causing the others to wince.

Yao bit back a retort, as Ivan started to cry. Gently, he moved the boy to his chest, and began petting his hair.

"I guess they're not, like, back yet. Which is totally fine, but, like, so annoying," Feliks ranted, "I'll, like, sign in."

"He's in the back room," Yao pointed to a sign on the door.

Just then, a young woman, maybe 25, entered the room. Her hair was blonde and wavy, whilst her eyes glittered in an almost mischievous manner. She was dressed in a blue dress, down to her knees, a tabard made of Winnie-the-Pooh fabric over the top. A nurse's watched was pinned to such, and a pen stuck out of her pocket. Her hair had been tied back, although it was starting to fall out of the bun. She wore black flats and matching tights.

"Bonjour Feliks, Yao. I see you're back safe," she smiled, walking over, "Doctor Kirkland is expecting things to get busy, so he's left me in command of basics."

She quickly looked at the other four, as Yao and Feliks returned her greetings.

"Sorry I don't know names, but if you take him," she gestured to Toris, "through to the back room, Arthur will see him as soon as possible. You two can still stand up, so you're stuck with me until Dr Hassan arrives, or Dr Kirkland finishes… Neither of which seems too likely. Or you pass out, which is more likely but I would really rather didn't happen. Oh, and leave the little one with Arthur. He's actually trained in paediatrics."

She jogged over to a wooden chair, where she pulled out a clipboard and first aid kit. She beckoned towards the group.

"Just, like, do what she says," Feliks smiled, pushing the two towards her, "We'll be back, like, soonish."

Ravis and Eduard made their way over, the younger passing hesitant glances as the others went through another door.

* * *

The brunette woman with the bandanna was serving tea to those before her. A brunette man is a long purple coat sat on the sofa, legs tucked under himself and wheelchair to one side. The little 'girl' was sitting on the carpet, next to the fire, and the blonde boy sitting next to 'her'. She giggled, and wiggled her toes, pointing them towards the flames. The boy blushed slightly, and smiled at her.

The black haired teen had removed his hoodie, to reveal himself to be Asian. He sat on an armchair carefully, and waited for the others to speak.

"Anything else, Mr Edelstein?" the brunette woman asked.

"No thank you, Eliza," the brunette man

She dipped her head, "Of course, Roderich. And you, Kiku?" she turned to the Asian.

"No thank you, Miss," he bowed his head slightly.

"Of course." She pushed the tea trolley to one side, and sat next to Roderich.

They sat sipping their teas as the two children giggled between themselves. After a few moments, the 'girl' gave a short scream, and the boy ran out. Kiku looked up, startled.

"Please do not concern yourself. This is normal," Roderich replied.

Kiku bowed his head once more, watching as the boy returned with a bowl of something.

"PASTA!" the little 'girl' grabbed it from the boy, before giving him a quick kiss on the cheek, and hurriedly eating it. The boy blushed a bright shade of red, and hid his face with the wide sleeves of his black outer-garment.

Roderich raised an eyebrow at the pair, before turning back to Kiku, "To business. Are you aware of the Vargas case?"

"I am afraid I am not," the Asian shook his head slightly. The little 'girl' looked up, before moving closer to the boy. He blushed fiercely, but allowed her to sit in his lap, and wrap her arms around his neck.

Roderich looked to Elizabeta, "You understand this better than I."

"Of course sir," she turned to Kiku, rested her head in her hands, "A young male slave, of name Lovino Vargas, has been charged with nine counts of murder, one of grievous bodily harm, and three of attempted murder by the crown prosecution service. Normally this would go straight to termination…" she lowered her voice as she spoke, then looked to the adult male as she finished.

"Quite," his voice was louder, "However, the owner of said slave is insisting on a trial. It is necessary for the defendant to have a lawyer, though none is coming forward."

"Legally, young Lovino can be lynched at any time," the woman looked sad, whilst the man's face was impassive.

Silence sat for a few moments, only broken by the occasional sniffle from the 'girl'.

"You want us to find him a lawyer?" Kiku felt their waiting for his response, "We may discuss this, although we have none of our own."

"No," Roderich spoke sharply, before the woman took over.

"I myself am a fully qualified lawyer," she smiled gently at the teen, "However, due to the unpopularity of the defendant, we will not be able to remain somewhere so public as this. And…" she looked at Roderich. He nodded his head, and she spoke again, "some help will be required to keep everything running smoothly."

Kiku bowed his head slightly, "I must consult the others, but this may be possible."

"Thank you," the woman nodded to him, "More tea?"

The 'girl' took this as the signal to remove her fingers from her ears, and come over.

* * *

"There you go, sweetheart," Emma finished wrapping the plaster cast around Ravis' arm. His eyes were bleary, and he hid slightly behind Eduard.

"Now, if you two will wait over there, Doctor Kirkland will see you for a few final checks once everything has calmed down a bit," she gave the two of them a smile, before looking behind them, "Did you need something, Yong Soo?"

An Asian boy of about 10 ran up to her. She wrapped her arms over her chest, and he pouted, "Have you seen ankii?"

"He's a little busy right now, but I'll let him know you're looking for him."

The boy grinned, "No need! Jai Long went to find him."

The blonde woman looked behind her, "Well, why don't you head on home and play with your sister?"

He thought for a moment, "Bye Miss Emma!"

She sighed, a smile on her face, "Anyway, just wait here and the doctor will be with you… I would say shortly, but considering the state of everyone else, it might be slightly longer. If you need anything, give me a shout. The water fountain's over there. Please help yourselves."

She turned around, to see a, fairly short, blonde man striding in. He was frowning darkly, and two males – a brunette and a strawberry-blonde – trailed behind him.

"Hello Vash," she smiled at him, and received a glare in response, "Can I help you?"

"Sort them out. I'm going home. Do not come looking, He turned, and walked out, gesturing for the two males to stay. They looked around 19, but it was very hard to tell.

Emma sighed, before picking her smile back up, "Hello there. I'm Emma, the duty nurse here. We're currently very busy so, if it's alright with you, I'll be giving you both a basic check-up. If anything comes up, I'll inform the doctor."

She took the two of them to one side, and started running through protocol with her little machine. Again. Eduard and Ravis watched her for a few moments, before the younger started playing with his collar. Eduard looked at him.

"Eduard," Ravis whispered, not looking up.

"Yes?"

"Can we really have a drink?"

"I am not certain."

Ravis looked down, poking his cast, "I'm really thirsty."

Eduard thought for a few moments. The last drink he could remember either of them having was at least the day before, if not longer ago. As he watched, a black haired woman in a long, white coat ran through the door, and to the water fountain. She filled a glass, and made her way over, sipping it. Ravis looked up at her, still slightly curled into Eduard's side. She dipped her head to them. She turned around, jogged back to the fountain, filling another two glasses, and giving them to them.

Hesitantly, the two took them, thanking her.

"You're welcome," she smiled slightly, then jogged on into the room where Feliks, Yao and Toris had gone.

Hesitantly, Eduard sipped at the glass. Deeming it to either be water, or at least only spiked with something which did not smell or taste, he nodded to Ravis. The two sat in silence as they drank.

* * *

Arthur had pulled a white doctor's coat over his suit, and was now working as quickly as possible, without endangering anyone or anything. Alfred was sat on one bed, yawning periodically and looking around with wide eyes. Yao was speaking to one of his many younger siblings about why climbing up the hospital wall was inappropriate – Arthur himself remembered having the conversation with the same boy many times, although admittedly it was about different walls. The Asian man had taken another, blonde, child with him. The assumption was passed between the two that Yao was responsible for him, but Arthur was required to treat him.

"Don't go to sleep, Alfred," he said without pausing in his stitching of the brunette man's wounds.

Feliks had introduced the brunette before him as Toris, and was now sitting chattering at the other. Toris seemed to barely notice as Arthur stitched his skin back together, a symptom that slightly concerned Arthur. He had seen people with worse injuries, but there was also the matter of how long someone had had them. Not to mention how well the shock had been treated in the immediate after-math.

Tying off the last stitch, he allowed the male to lie down, as he checked a beeping machine. He made his way over the desk, throwing his latex gloves into the bin, and putting on another pair.

"Artie…" Alfred whined again, "I'm tired."

"Don't go to sleep, lad."

A woman with straight, black hair entered the room. She was dressed in a matching doctor's coat, covering a pair of loose fitting trousers. Her features were Egyptian in fashion.

"Cleo, can you take over, please? B negative. Notes are on the table," Arthur once again did not turn around.

"Of course, Arthur," she made her way towards the pair, seating herself in Arthur's previous position, but pulling a machine from her belt.

He turned to Alfred, "Let's have a look at you, then."

Alfred had already been given the medication for pain and radiation sickness. The burns and cuts had also been treated, but there were a few matters that still needed attending to.

"Arms up."

Alfred raised his arms over his head. Allowing Arthur to perform a number of tests, as the black haired woman dealt with Toris' medication and bandages.

"Mr Arthur…"

"You can go to sleep now, Alfred. But, I will have to wake you up to give you your medicine."

The boy grinned, before curling up on the sheets. Arthur sighed, pulling the sheets from under him, and tucking the boy in. Alfred curled up tighter, fisting them.

"I'll wake you up in about an hour," Arthur patted the boy's head, before turning around. Cleo was still working, but Yao was back. And so was the blonde child. There was a small tug on his coat.

"Yes?"

"Can I have a story now?" Alfred whispered – or at least attempted to whisper.

"Maybe next time, love. I'm rather busy right now," once he thought the boy understood, he turned to the Asian man. The doctor gave a sigh. He rolled his eyes at the Asian man, as he crouched down, "Hello."

"His name is Ivan, and I don't know what he speaks," Yao rolled his eyes.

Arthur looked up at the Asian, rolling his eyes, before looking back to the boy with what he hoped was a vaguely comforting smile.

"Well, that's bloody helpful…" Arthur sighed, and raised his arms above his head. It was not the first mime he had resorted to mime, and he doubted it would be the last.

* * *

Vash sat behind the counter of a traditional sweet shop. The sign on the door said closed, and he was polishing a shot gun. He sat there glaring at it for a while, before the door chimed.

"We're closed. Get out before I shoot you," he didn't even look up.

"I am aware," heels tapped as they came closer to the desk.

He flipped the gun up to point it at the woman before him. She was dressed all in red. Her hair was brown, and her eyes blue.

He put his gun down, "Boss."

She nodded her head briefly, "Can you come with me, please?"

He glared at her, but strapped the gun to his back, "What do you want?"

She didn't answer, but left through the glass door. Vash would quite happily have ignored her – in-fact, he would have preferred to – but she paid his wages, and h would rather keep them. Stupid woman.

* * *

"Ah, Doctor Kirkland. I was wondering when you'd be finished," Emma smiled at him, dipping slightly.

"Not quite. I have yet to report in."

"Of course. Would you like me to sign Yao, Feliks and yourself in whilst you finish?" she asked.

"That would be brilliant," he nodded to her as she made her way outside.

He turned around, and began to make his way over to the arguing pair of males, fully intent on making them be quite. That one of them had a bandage around their head was all the more reason for it. The two blondes (well, blonde and mousey brunette) to one side cowered slightly when his glare flickered over them.

"Excuse me, Herr?"

He turned around to see a blonde girl standing in the doorway. She looked slightly familiar to him, although he could not place her. Her clothing was looking worse for wear, and her hair was un-evenly cut, "May I help you, miss?"

She looked slightly startled, "I vas told to come here to be registered?" She sounded uncertain herself.

He made his way over, wishing that Emma would come back. He could treat females, of course, but it was always a little awkward, "Who sent you over here, lass?"

"Tam… Tom… Tim?" she seemed uncertain.

"Large and blonde?"

She nodded.

"Are you happy for me to give you your medical, or would you rather I went to find the female duty doctor?"

"I vouldn't vant to be of any trouble to you," she ducked her head slightly.

"No trouble at all," he smiled, "I will go find Cleo for you."

He made his way back to the room he had come from, calling for 'Ms Hassan'. A few moments later, Cleo emerged.

"I was wondering if you could give the young lady her medical, seeing as Emma is now off duty."

Cleo nodded tiredly, and gestured for the blonde girl to follow her. Arthur remembered when he had first met Cleo, or rather Cleopatra Hassan, many, many years ago. She was nearly 45; although her body had not aged since her 20s, like most in the world, her eyes told her true age. When they had first met, she had been a nursery worker, and had only recently qualified as a medical professional. The Egyptian woman still worked at the nursery but, like most, had two jobs.

He watched from the corner of his eye as she scanned the girl, after a moment focusing his attention on the four pieces of paper in his hand. It was going to be a long evening.


	4. Chapter 4

**A.N. Um... Can I apologise for the long wait and get away with it? Anyway, waits of this long should probably be expeced from me, with things this long... I'm not entirely happy still, but I guess that it will have to do - I've kept you long enough. Please forgive any OOC, this has been written over a few months. Any advice or corrections gratefully recieved. Timings on the last China and Britain parts are fairly arbitary, and I'm not sure how I wanted to do them...**

**Warnings for this chapter: Fluff? Oh! And suggestions of grevious bodily harm, possibly with intent to kill.**

**Part order: Switzerland, Britain, China, Britain (Romania and Bulgaria), Japan, Britain, China.**

* * *

"Good afternoon," the boss nodded to Dr Hassan as she entered the hospital area. She had a tight hold on Vash's wrist, and was dragging him behind her. He was not complaining, although his face was overly annoyed.

"Hello, Vash, Solveig," Dr Hassan nodded to them, "I have her over here."

The Egyptian woman gestured to where a blonde girl was sat, her back to them, and sipping a mug of something. Ravis and Eduard were no longer in the room, although the strawberry blonde and brunette males were.

The girl's hair was cut to just above the level. Of her chin, which could either be male or female. Relativly short, she was only in her early teens.

Vash looked between Solveig and the girl, giving the boss a glare. She waved him off, and began to walk towards the main ward. Dr Hassan, however, stopped her and began to speak.

Vash, however, was ignoring this development. Instead, he was looking at the girl, "Lilli?" He spoke only after a few moments.

When he did so, she tightened her hold on her mug, before looking around. She frowned for. A few seconds, before placing the mug on the table and giving a bow.

"Big Bruder?"

He made a strange noise in the back of his throat, entirely unaware of his scowling boss leaving with the other two, and Dr Hassan disappearing further into the building.

However, the noise he made when Lilli wrapped her arms around him was even stranger. He stood awkwardly, but did not push her off.

"I missed you so much, big brother," she mumbled into his neck.

"Yes, yes," Vash scolded himself for his lack of ability in this area, "you are well?"

"Ja," she replied, "and the family were very kind - I was there to entertain their children, no more or less."

Lilli knew that she had been lucky with her duties, and she also knew how to identify worry from her brother - a skill she had promised herself she would retain through her servitude. The children were now older and had made their own friends; the family had no reason to keep her longer, however much the children cried. And, they had been very patient in the early days when she could not leave the room for fear.

"Good. We will now return to my house, have dinner and go to bed. What do you want?" Although it would take someone who knew him well to see, Vash was relieved.

"Cheese fondue, if that is good for you," Lilli replied quietly, but knew that it was her brother's favourite. And, something she had missed.

She followed him out, and towards the home which they would now share.

* * *

Arthur stood in an office. The desk appeared messy, although if you were to look you would find method to the madness. The walls were pale cream, and the furniture made of dark wood. The curtains were only partially opened, being pulled back by the brunette at the desk – specifically his boss. Outside, the street lights were beginning to flicker on. On the walls were maps of the world – complete, separate continents, then one of Germany, one of Austria and one of Britain.

After a few minutes, Arthur cleared his throat, then spoke.

"Solveig."

The brunette woman turned with a jump, to face Arthur. Her face was expressionless, although her eyes startled, "Yes, Arthur?"

"You're idiot informants forgot to mention that the place did not open for another three months. Why, if I were you-"

"Thank you, Arthur," her voice was clipped when she spoke again, "Did you-?"

"I picked someone up from a debatably legal street merchant. He's currently asleep, but seems to be suffering from radiation sickness. Considering where he came from, I think this is probably. When I spoke to him, he seemed mentally stable."

Solveig raised an eyebrow, before slumping slightly in her seat.

"America. And another thing."

"Ja?" rolled her eyes, swinging her legs unprofessionally. Sighing, she then folded her arms on the desk, and rested her chin on them.

"He talks of a brother, although does not know where they were. All things considered, I believe he may have also been… Taken."

"I can ask the others to keep an eye out, but without a location…" she trailed off, sitting up again.

Arthur nodded, awaiting the continuation of the statement.

Solveig rubbed her forehead, "Do what you can. When he awakens, we will have to see… Both mental stability, and about this sibling. I take it you are free to take another, maybe two later?"

"I am."

She sighed, "Good. I don't think… I was going to see Gil today, but there were things to attend to..." she looked out of the window, eyes clouding over. She shook her head, passing one of the many stacks of papers from her desk to the man, "no matter. Hand these out. If people don't know how to fill them in, Yao will help them later. Non-urgent, but important. From what I can see," she grabbed one of her sheets of paper, quickly scanning it, "Three at Feliks', one at Vash's, your's… Yao has yet to report in – one assumes he is outside – so he probably has at least one, and there's two who are staying in the main house."

Arthur tucked them under one arm. He began to leave, and then turned, "Vash? And, speaking of Yao, I think he will be along to see you shortly."

"Lilli's back; confused, but otherwise well, which reduces the missing count to three. Plus your boy's brother, although that is side... Although, any information about..."She cut herself off with a wave of her hand, "And why so?"

"I'm fairly certain he picked up an extra. Who doesn't speak anything anyone recognises. And, he's sitting outside."

Solveig slammed her face into the desk, cussing under her breath.

"I'll let him in then?"

Sitting back up, she waved her arms around over-dramatically, "Why ever not?"

* * *

Yao was kneeling by the chairs outside Solveig's office, speaking to Ivan, when Arthur came out. Ivan was hiding under one of the chairs, and clutching the leg tightly. The European looked at the Asian for a few moments, both pairs of eyes narrowing.

"She'll see you now," Arthur glared, "And there are papers to file when you come out." He dropped the papers onto the chair next to Yao.

Yao narrowed his eyes at Arthur, whilst kneeling on the floor. Turning from the European, he began trying to coax Ivan from his hiding place. Arthur walked away, carrying another stack of paperwork.

Finally, the boy came out. The adult huffed slightly, but picked the child up. He entered the office. Solveig sat at the desk, calmly filling papers, as though she had not been swinging on her chair a few moments ago.

"Hello," Solveig looked up at the two.

"Good afternoon," Yao said, shifting Ivan in his arms. The boy squirmed, but clung tightly to him. When there was no response, "Evening, even."

"And you requested to see me because…" Solveig rested her head on one hand, frowning slightly.

Yao pulled a face, "I would have thought Arthur had told you."

"I wanted to hear it from you, but anyhow," she stood up, brushing down her skirt, "This is the child?"

Yao nodded, unsettling Ivan once more, before placing him on the ground. Immediately, the child latched onto his leg. At his actions, Solveig bit back a laugh, and knelt down. Looking back up at Yao, she smiled, "He is… adorable."

Yao mentally rolled his eyes and sighed in relief, "I've tried English and Chinese."

"Hum…" Solveig bit her lip, "Any others?"

"He was asleep before we could ask anyone else, and once we got back, they were otherwise occupied."

Solveig sighed, and thought for a moment, "Do you know his name?"

"Ivan," Yao replied, "Is what I understand it to be, aru."

She thought for a moment more, "Well, I assume not Middle Eastern or Japanese, then," she muttered, "Eastern Europe?"

Yao remained silent as she thought, resting one hand on Ivan's shoulder. The boy looked up.  
"Da?" he asked, blinking at the adult.

Solveig looked at him for a few second, before nodding to herself, "Privet?"

The boy looked at her, and started speaking quickly, although still hugging Yao's leg. She smiled sadly, and shook her head at him, as he started to cry again. Solveig stood up, looking to Yao. He took this as his signal to pick the child up again, gently hushing him.

"Russian," Solveig walked back over to her desk, "I don't understand much, but that's the best I can manage," she turned back to the two, tossing a small book to them. Yao caught it with one hand, as Ivan started, "There's a dictionary – the two of you will just have to work something out."

Yao pulled a face, which Solveig grinned at.

"After all," her grin turned slightly darker, "You already speak how many languages?"

Yao quickly counted up, "seven."

"It should be easy, then." Her face showed that she knew that the eighth would not be like the others.

Eyes were rolled, as Yao flicked through the dictionary with one hand, "Thank you." He turned to leave.

"Oh, one more thing," Solveig was now twirling a pencil, and not looking at all in his direction. Yao, however, was looking at her.

"I asked Kiku to check something out for me – he won't be back until late. Possibly tomorrow."

"Where?" Yao frowned.

"York."

Yao stared at her for a few moments, before making a noise of annoyance.

"He'll be back soon enough, and it's perfectly safe," she spoke lightly, tone teasing, "You remember Roderich and Elizabeta, don't you?"

He did remember them, although he wondered why the woman was still in contact. Not happy, but satisfied, he bowed and left the room.

* * *

"Hello!" The strawberry blonde opened the door. The brunette was somewhere behind him, watching it.

"This needs filling in," Arthur passes him two piles of papers. The two males were around 17. They were already introduced to Arthur, as he had signed the paperwork, although Emma had been the one to check them. Observing more closely, he summerised that they had been through figurative hell and back - but not recently.

"Um... Georgi!" The blonde called.

The brunette was by his side in a few steps, frowning, "yes?"

"Paperwork," the first grinned, waving it around and cackling.

The other grabbed the papers from him, throwing them inside, "did you need anything else?"

"Tea," the strawberry blonde had his eyes narrowed at Arthur, before he turned to Georgi, "he drinks tea."

"Traian!" he shouted in reply.

"Have a good evening," Arthur pulled a face at them, "in the morning, someone will come by to explain things to you."

"Thanks," Georgi frowned.

"Was I right?" Traian shouted as Arthur turned to leave.

"You were," Arthur nodded to them, "good night."

Georgi pulled a face at his counterpart, but said nothing. Traian cackled again, before pulling the brunette inside.

* * *

Solveig looked up from the paperwork she had been signing, a few seconds before there was a knock at the door, "Enter!" She called, placing her pen down and one hand under the desk - she was not expecting anyone...

The door creaked open, Kiku slipping in.

"Good evening," she nodded to him as he bowed, "how was everything?"

"Their home was pleasant, the trains not as."

Solveig gave a short laugh, "and, what did they want?" She watched the Asian teen rub his eyes before he thought better of it, and put his hand down. The woman was not happy with sending one so young to fulfil errands for her, but she had little other option.

"They request a place to stay for an undefined amount of time."

"They have a house," Solveig frowned.

"Miss Elizabeta wishes to return to court in defence of Master Vargas," he assumed that the woman who was his boss knew of the case - it was her buisness to know, "but their house is not adequately protected to ensure the safety of her husband and their child-servants."

Solveig nodded - something certainly not to discuss over a tapped line. She extracted a notebook from under one of the paper stacks, tutting to hersewlf as she knocked the stack over. Picking her pen back up, she flicked to a map of the village.

"How many?" She asked, spinning said pen between her fingers.

Kiku eyed the knocked over paperwork as he answered, "four, including her. Two adults, two children. I would approximate at around 10."

"I'll pick it up later," she waved one hand as she took notes, "and, shall I assume the case will need to stay after she wins?"

"If she wins, surely?" Kiku was not querying her meaning, only his understanding of the English. With five languages which he spoke on an everyday basis, he sometimes confused them.

"Eliza does not loose," Solveig smiled at him, "get yourself home. Yao's worried sick."

Kiku pulled a face, but did not reply as he bowed and made his exit. After he left, Solveig smirked, and placed the pen against her lips - soon everything would be in place. Her face then fell to a frown as she looked to a photograph - the only thing which did not seem chaotic on her desk. It showed herself, a blonde man, a baby and a young child. She placed a kiss on it, before collecting the papers from her desk, and leaving the room.

* * *

It was nearly midnight by the time Arthur had finished filling in the necessary paperwork. He was sitting at a desk in the hospital, rubbing his eyes periodically. Ms Hassan was working the night shift – with only four patients left, she did so with the help of one of the nurses.

As he made his way back onto the ward, he nodded to the woman, and make his way to Alfred's bed. Signing off the paperwork, he picked up the boy, and made his way back to Toris' bed. Feliks was sleeping on the floor next to him, and the other two were asleep on one of the other beds. Yao had long since left with Ivan.

Ms Hassan appeared, holding a bottle of medicine. The two doctors nodded to one another, but said nothing else. Alfred stirred slightly, curling into the adult's chest, but not waking.

Arthur kept Alfred close to his chest as he walked from the hospital. He passed a large park, complete with football pitch, flower beds and a children's play-park, then the school – it was relatively small, and built of bricks, a memory of a by-gone age. Next to it was the library, inside an old, converted mining building. It was one of the few reminders of what the land once was, still surrounded by bracken and heather. There were a collection of other buildings on the street, each labelled by what they were – sweet shop, Church, clothing shop, ect.

A little way down the road, he made it to the residential area. It was a single street, all of the houses near identical – built of steel, glass and concrete. At the very end was a much older building – repaired many times, but built in a similar way to the school. It was larger than the others, forming the college of the university. It also housed what was left of the Beilschmitt family, and non-employed associates. A large, stone wall ran around the entire site – the only entrance was a gateway, always guarded by at least three men, and the lesser-known side gate, which required nine keys and getting through three doors.

Shifting Alfred until he was held with a single arm, Arthur pushed open the door to his own house, rolling his eyes as he found it unlocked. Of course, it was easier than unlocking with a child in his arms, but not preferable. Once inside, he toed off his shoes, and made his way upstairs as quietly as he could. Unfortunately, it was about at this point that he stepped on a toy car. He let out a few choice words, which caused Alfred to shift, and mumble something under his breath. More to the point, it led to the opening of another door.

A bleary eyed blonde looked at him, eleven years old. He was dressed in dark blue pyjamas, and was clutching his blanket around him as a cloak. When he saw Arthur, his eyes narrowed slightly, "You're late."

"I'm sorry," Arthur sighed.

"Who's that?"

"This is Alfred. I'll introduce you in the morning," Arthur sighed, wishing for sleep, " Over breakfast."

The boy made a noise of acknowledgement, "Bruce was worried. He's not come to bed," he mumbled, attempting to rub sleep from his eyes.

"I'll put Alfred to sleep, then find him," he promised, shifting the youngest child again.

"Um…" the elder child hummed.

"Mackenzie," Arthur frowned.

"Yes?"

"Go back to sleep."

"'Night, Dad," the boy made his way back into his own room, still slightly dreamy in his movements.

"Good night, lad."

Once Arthur was sure that he was back into his bed, he took Alfred into another room. There were two beds in it, although both were unoccupied. He placed Alfred on the left hand bed, and placed his lips to his forehead. Knowing from experience that children rarely enjoyed darkness, he took a night light from the chest of drawers, and plugged it into a socket. When he looked back to the child, he saw a pair of sleepy blue eyes blinking at him.

"Alfred?" he asked.

The eyes blinked at him again, before shutting. Arthur stayed for a few extra minutes, ensuring that the boy was asleep again, before making his way downstairs. He took a right at the bottom, entering the living room. The lamp in the corner was turned on, whilst a figure lay sprawled on the sofa. Arthur made his way over to it, yawning quietly as he did so. Once clearly within view the moment the other opened his eyes, Arthur tapped the teen on the shoulder. The male form was about 14, mousey-brown hair messy, and a plaster over his nose. Arthur knew that the reason was a rather ugly scar, that the boy was, when awake, very conscious of.

The boy woke with a start, a few seconds after being tapped. Almost on reflex, he grabbed a knife from the coffee table, holding it in front of himself. When he registered who was there, however, he put it down.

"Good evening, Bruce," Arthur's voice was blank, more due to exhaustion than anything else, "Or, should I say morning?"

"You're late," he folded his arms across his chest.

Arthur sighed, "I forgot how much paperwork was involved when you bring someone back."

Bruce's face lit up, "Brother or sister?"

"Brother. He's quite a bit younger than Mackenzie and you, and rather ill. He has a natural brother, although we don't know where. He seems fine, but I imagine that he is not." Arthur's eyes flickered to the knife, but made no comment, "Regardless, we can introduce in the morning. I think we should be heading to bed, now."

"Night, Mum," Bruce waved at him, picking up the knife and heading upstairs. Arthur followed a few moments later, stopping outside of the room that Bruce entered until the voices stopped. Once he was sure that everyone was asleep, he entered his own room.

The walls were painted a pale cream, a double bed in the centre. Over the bed hung a copy of oil-painting by Constable, whilst the other walls were decorated with old flags. Paperwork was stacked on an oak desk, and starting to topple off it. Pushing the leaning tower of paper back to a semi-upright position, Arthur changed into a grey night-shirt, and made his way to bed.

* * *

The only adult Asian in the village made his way down the residential street. He stopped infront of one of the houses, before unlocking the door and entering. Ivan was huddled against him.

Yao was almost immediately swamped by a group of children. One of the first to latch onto him was Yong Soo, a fairly common occurrence. Despite it being very early hours of the morning, all of the children were still up; Kiku, the eldest, was yet to return. Mei questioned him about this. Despite not knowing the answer, Yao said that he would be home for breakfast. Or words to that effect.

Once he had removed himself from his elder brother, Yong Soo started running around the room. He was soon knocking over various pieces of artwork, and semi-priceless antique vases. The vases were all cracked already, and seemingly repaired many times. Yao wondered why he still had them on display.

"_Bed, everyone_!" he shouted.

Mei looked at him with her one good eye, whilst Jai Long finally gave his attention to the eldest in the room.

"_Teacher?_" the boy asked, slouching on the sofa.

"_Brother_!" Mei looked at him, "_Who is that_?" She pointed to Ivan, wrapped around Yao's leg. Being pointed at, the child hugged the leg closer.

"_This is Ivan,_" Yao sighed, "_He will be living with us, and I expect you all to be nice to him._" He looked specifically at Jai Long, although his eyes flickered to Yong Soo as the third eldest started sneaking up, "_He will not understand you. Now to bed!_"

Mei was the first to leave, wishing the males in the room goodnight and making her way upstairs. She was already dressed in her pyjamas, and Yao heard the tap run. He turned to the two boys. Yong Soo gave him another 'hug', before running upstairs and shouting something. Using the wall for support, Jai Long stood. Yao watched him as he carefully made his way across the room. Part way, the boy stumbled. The adult made no move to help, and Jai Long gave him a slight glare.

"Use your arms more," Yao spoke in English again.

"Whatever, teacher," Jai Long did seem to place more weight on his arm still in contact with the wall, waving dismissively as he reached the stairs.

Yao sighed, and looked to Ivan. Smiling lightly, he picked up the small child. Ivan yawned, and curled into the Asian's chest. Yao made himself some soup, and cleaned up the remains of the dinner the children had eaten earlier. All the while, he kept contact with Ivan. The boy had been fed whilst they were waiting to see the boss, although Yao himself had yet to have anything. At near one in the morning, the short Asian was rather hungry.

Once the soup was heating, he carried Ivan upstairs. He entered a room with plain walls, but decorated with embroidered screens. There was a bed in the centre, and a child's crib, rescued from the scrap-yard when Yao first moved to the country with his siblings, under the window. It was about three quarters of the length of a normal bed, and as wide as a single. It was surrounded by a high wooden frame, and decorated with images from nursery rhymes and folk-law. Not having a spare bed, Yao placed Ivan in the crib, and tucked him in. Ivan fidgeted, whining in Russian about the lack of warmth. Yao patted his head, and forced him to go down. He sang in Chinese until the boy appeared asleep. Once he was sure of it, he made his way downstairs – his soup was only just boiling. Slightly over-done, but edible. He used a ladle to put it in a bowl, then took a soup spoon from the drawer. He sat on the counter, and started to eat. Upstairs, he could hear Yong Soo talking at Jai Long, and the other ordering him to be quiet.

Just as Yao finished his soup, the front door opened. From where he sat, Yao could see his eldest slip through the door, and change his shoes.

"Kiku!" he called, "Good evening. Or, should I say morning?" His voice was light, but eyes hard.

Kiku looked up, folded his hands in front of him, and bowed, "My apologies for my lateness."

"There's soup left in the pan."

Once his shoes were changed, Kiku entered the kitchen, and served himself some soup, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Yao turned to the sink, and started to wash his own bowl. Kiku ate his soup much more quickly than Yao did, and came over.

"I can wash up," the teen offered, holding his bowl before him.

Yao took the bowl, and placed it in the sink with his own. As he did so, it finally became obvious that the teen was missing two fingers on each hand – and one on his left hand had been reduced to half of its usual size. Quickly, Kiku folded them together.

"Go to bed. You have a new brother, by name of Ivan, whom you can meet in the morning. Remember to brush your teeth," Yao did not look at the other while he spoke.

Kiku bowed as he left, only briefly hesitating in the doorway.

"We will talk in the morning," the adult finally looked at him.

"Of course. Is there anything else?" It was Kiku's turn to not look as he spoke, instead gazing at the stairs.

"Go to bed."

The teen did so, as Yao continued to clean the kitchen.


End file.
